Power-transmission mechanism.



L. MAIER. POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1911.

1,067,185, Patented July 8, 1913;

V A 27 Z 20 I I 40 I ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PAETEN T OFFICE.

LEOPOLD MAIER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

POWER-TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LnoroLD MAIER, a citi- Zen of the United States, andaresident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and Improved Power-TransmissionMechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to driving mecha nism, and has reference moreparticularly to mechanism of this kind constituting a oneway clutch, andcomprising a drum, a ratchet associated therewith and means whereby thedrum and the ratchet are operatively connected when moved in onedirection and are inoperative with respect to each other when moving inanother direction.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient drivingmechanism which can be used for a variety of purposes, for example intransforming intermittent reciprocatory movement into continuous rotarymovement, which comprises comparatively few parts, which can be easilyassembled and taken apart, in which the ratchet serves to hold the drumagainst axial movement, and which can be economically produced.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts tobe more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which-- Figure 1 is afragmentary elevation showing a shaft having two embodiments of myinvention mounted thereon, one of the devices being shown in crosssection. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. l; andFig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing power transmissionmechanism in which my driving mechanism is incorporated, to illustrateone of the uses of which my invention is capable.

Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of my invention, itshould be clearly understood that while the mechanism is particularlyuseful in connection with apparatus for utilizing the power of waves orother water movements, it can also be advantageously employed for otherpurposes in which it is desirable or necessary to trans- Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed August 8, 1911.

Patented July 8, 1913.

Serial No. 642,978.

form a reciprocatory into a rotary movement.

Certain of the details of construction, shown for example herewith, formno part of the invention, and can be varied in ac cordance withindividual preference or special conditions, without deviating from theessence of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I employ a shaft 10 ofsuitable dimensions, which constitutes the driven member and serves forthe utilization of the power applied thereto and developed, for example,from water wave movements. Loosely mounted upon the shaft is a pair ofdouble drums 11, each comprising a smaller section 12 and a largersection 13. The diameters of these sections differ materially. The drumsections 12, at the extremities have radially disposed flanges let and15 which facilitate the winding of a flexible member thereon. The drumsections 13, at the edges adjacent to the other sections, 12, likewisehave peripheral flanges 16. The drum sections are hollow, as is clearlyshown in the cross sec tion of Fig. 1. I employ a head or face plate 1?having a central hub 18 through which the shaft 10 passes, and providedwith an offset peripheral flange 19. Each is screwed into a drum section13 and engages at the edge thereof remote from the flange 16, so thatits flange 19 corresponds to the flange 16 and serves with the latter,to facilitate the winding of a flexible memberupon the drum section 13.The drum sections 12 have webs 20 and 21 therein, provided with openingsthrough which the shaft passes, and which serve, with the hub 18, tomount the drums loosely upon the shafts.

Keyed or otherwise firmly secured upon the shaft at suitable pointsthereof, are ratchets 22. The keys 23 of the ratchets are securely heldin position by means of setscrew 2st. The ratchets have radially extended flanges 25 at the sides of the teeth, and are axially extended toform hubs 26. The ratchets are received within the hollow drum sections13, which are provided interiorly with recesses 27 and 28 receivingrespectively the hubs of the ratchets. The flanges 25 extend beyond therecesses and engage at the inner sides of the hollow drum sections. Inthis way, the drums are held against movement longitudinally of theshaft, though they are free to revolve thereon.

lVithin each of the drum sections 13, I provide a plurality of pawls ordogs 29, preferably four in number, and each adapt ed to engage aratchet. The dogs are pivotally mounted in osition by means of bolts 30which extend tirough the head 17 and the opposite side of the drumsection 13, and thus also secure these parts together. The dogs havehubs 31, and at the free ends are received between the flanges 25.Within each drum section 13 is an annular member 39. fitted against theinside thereof and having inwardly integral disposed spring tongues 33,each of which engages one of the dogs and tends to hold the same inoperative relation with the ratchet.

In the diagrammatic view shown in Fig. 3 I have illustrated the mode ofapplication of my power transmission mechanism to a wave motor or likeapparatus. To the float 34-. of the wave motor are secured two flexiblemembers or cables 35 and 36. The former is secured at the top of thefloat, the latter to the under side of the same, passing about a pulley37 and upwardly through an opening 38 in the float, around a secondpulley 39 to one of the drum sections 12, about which it is partly woundand secured. The cable may be secured to the drum section in anysuitable manner, for example, by means ofa peg or stud located in aninclined opening 40 at the flange 14 of the section. A second flexiblemember a1 is secured to, and partly wound about the cor responding drumsection 18, passing over a pulley 42, and having attached at the endthereof a counterpoise 43. The cables are so arranged that the weightsof the float and the counterpoise tend to turn the drum in oppositedirections. The cable 35 is partly wound about and secured to the drumsection 12 of the other drum. A further flexible member 44 is secured toand partly wound about the corresponding drum section 13, passes about apulley 45, and has attached thereto a counterpoise 46, the arrangementbeing similar to that of the other drum.

It will be understood that owing to the disposition of the cables 35 and36 one of these is placed under tension when the float moves upward andthe other is correspondingly placed under tension when the float movesdownward. In each instance, the movement of the float is transmitted tothe shaft, through the drum, the dogs and the ratchet, to revolve theshaft in a. predetermined direction, so that the drums are alternatelyoperative to revolve the shaft continuously. Furthermore, during theinoperative period of each drum its counterpoise winds it in an oppositedirection, the dogs moving inoperatively about the teeth of the ratchetin that case, to allow for the reverse movem-ent of the float to permitthe flexible member connecting the drum and the float to be wound upduring this inoperative period, so that at the next reverse movement ofthe float the drum can again be actuated, thereby to revolve the shaft.In this way the intermittent, reciprocatory movement of the float due toboth or either action is transformed into a continuous, rotary movementof the shaft 10, the power developed at which can then be utilized inany suitable manner.

Iaving thus described my invent-ion, I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

1. Driving mechanism comprising a shaft, a hollow drum loose upon saidshaft, a ratchet secured to said shaft within said drum, a dog pivotallymounted within said drum adapted to engage said ratchet, and an annularmember against the inside thereof within said drum and having anintegral spring tongue engaging said dog and tending to maintain thesame in operative relation with said ratchet.

Driving mechanism comprising a shaft, a hollow drum loose upon saidshaft, a ratchet secured to said shaft within said drum, a plurality ofdogs pivotally secured within said drum adapted to engage said ratchet,and an annular member located within said drum and having a plurality ofintegral, inwardly disposed spring tongues each adapted to engage one ofsaid dogs and maintain the same in an operative relation with saidratchet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEOPOLD MAIER;

lVitnesses:

JOHN KELLEY, JAMES MGMAI-ION.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

